The invention relates to effervescent compositions that include cranberry extract.
Cranberries, which include flavonoids (e.g., anthocyanins, flavonols and proanthocyanidins), hydroxycinnamic acids, phenols, polyphenols, omega-3 fatty acids, and omega-6 fatty acids, have been noted for their potential health benefits. Cranberry juice, for example, is often recommended for use in the treatment of urinary tract infections. The term “urinary tract infection” is used to refer to a variety of conditions including cystitis (infection of the bladder), pyelonephutis (infection of the kidney), and urethritis (infection of the urethra). Various studies have shown that cranberry juice, and in particular the proanthocyanidins present in cranberries, inhibit bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) from attaching to and colonizing on the walls of the urinary tract. One such study showed that elderly women who consumed ten ounces a day of a commercial cranberry juice cocktail showed a reduction in the level of bacteria and white blood cell count in their urine.
Cranberries have also been noted for their relatively high antioxidant content. Antioxidants have been highlighted as disease fighters.
In general, cranberry juice is commercially available to a user in a bottled form that usually contains multiple servings. At times, such bottles can be rather inconvenient dosage forms and may not be readily available. In addition, many commercially available cranberry juices are not 100% juice, as they often include sweeteners and other additives. In most commercially available cranberry juices only a fraction of the juice that is present in the product is cranberry juice.
Various efforts have been made to provide the beneficial effects of cranberries to individuals in a convenient and more concentrated form. One such effort involved the development of tablets of concentrated cranberry juice. Another effort involved the development of a time-release capsule for delivering extracts of cranberries to the body over time.
Various problems can arise when attempting to mass-produce tablets including picking, die wall etching, capping and laminating. “Picking” refers to the phenomenon that occurs when a portion of the tablet composition sticks to one or more faces of the punches used to form the tablets. In mass producing tablets, the die of the tablet press is filled with the effervescent composition, two opposing faces of the die punch of the tablet press come together to compress the composition and form the tablet, and then the tablet is ejected from the die. It is the two punch faces to which the “picked” composition sticks after the tablets are ejected from the die punch. Picking is also evidenced by the presence of indentations on the surface of the tablet (i.e., the face of the tablet).
“Die wall etching” refers to the phenomenon that occurs when the tablet composition sticks to or builds up on the side walls of the tablet. Die wall etching is evidenced by the presence of scratches or lines on the side walls of the tablet.
“Capping” refers to the splitting off of the top surface of the tablet from the body of the tablet.
“Lamination” refers to the presence of definite striations or layers within the tablet that are visible when the tablet is broken in half. When lamination occurs, the tablet often splits and comes apart at the sides during the tableting operation and is ejected from the die in two parts.